Diners choke on Nathan’s price hike: Hot dogs now cost $3.15

The original Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island is charging $3.15 for a plain hot dog – a price many longtime customers are finding hard to swallow.

“Wow, that’s steep,” said electrician Frank Lehman, 32, as he stopped by the popular Brooklyn eatery for lunch. “I had no idea they cost that much now. I could buy a whole package of hot dogs for that much.”

Nathan’s officials said rising costs for everything from beef to buns forced the landmark store at 1310 Surf Ave. to plump their prices.

“The reason for the price increase was to offset our own price increases,” said Nathan’s spokeswoman Mary Highland.

Food industry analyst Phil Lempert said high gas prices and the increased cost of grains used to feed livestock have raised food prices nationwide.

“In a city like New York, where street vendors still sell hot dogs for $1.50, I think Nathan’s would be hard-pressed to justify such a high price to consumers,” Lempert said.

An “original” all-beef frank from Nathan’s cost $2.95 earlier this summer, up from $2.75 as little as two years ago.

And $3.15 isn’t even the end of the pain. Customers have to keep digging into their wallets for the sales tax.